Canadian outfit CF Montreal are aiming to retain their spot in the final series playoff positions in the Eastern Conference, as they currently sit just two places and two points above Inter Miami, who have a game in hand.
Wilfried Nancy's side welcome Chicago Fire to the Saputo Stadium on Sunday, with the away side in poor form having only won once in their last five outings.
Match preview
© Reuters
Montreal have been unable to string together a run of victories in recent weeks, with their last consecutive wins coming through July when they won three in a row.
They have the opportunity to win back-to-back games this weekend after defeating Orlando City last time out, despite being pegged back to 2-2 at one point.
Mathieu Choiniere and Romell Quioto ensured Montreal went into the break 2-1 ahead, but the away side had to rely on Lassi Lappalainen and Sunusi Ibrahim to strike in the second half to win the game 4-2, in what was a fiercely fought contest.
Orlando saw two players sent off during that game - former Manchester United winger Nani in the first half before Andres Perea saw red eight minutes from time - meaning that Nancy's team deserve praise for remaining professional when tempers rose from the hosts.
That victory will please the Montreal camp even more considering that it was their first win away from home since the end of May, but they will be looking to take advantage of Chicago's poor away form on Sunday.
© Reuters
Chicago have only recorded three points on the road once this season, giving them the worst away form in the Eastern Conference, and that has not helped their recent run of results as they have been away from the Soldier Field for their last five outings.
On Thursday, Raphael Wicky's side's discipline in the first half let them down against DC United, who were 3-0 ahead by the break, after Ola Kamara completed a hat-trick which included two penalties.
Fire only recorded one shot on target in that game - a stat which explains why they have only scored six times on their travels, and failed to score on 10 occasions throughout this campaign.
Chicago hosted Montreal on May 29 in the reverse fixture and it was a tight affair, with the visitors having to wait until the 87th minute for the deadlock to be broken by Mason Toye, who secured a 1-0 win for the Canadian side.
- W
- D
- D
- W
- L
- W
- W
- L
- L
- W
- L
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Montreal's Ballou Tabla and Robert Orri Thorkelsson are both suffering from groin injuries, and while Tabla may make his return to action at the end of this month, the latter will have to wait until late November before he is fully match fit.
Quioto did not start for Montreal against Nashville last Saturday after representing Honduras over the international break, but he rewarded Nancy for putting him back into the starting lineup last time out as he scored once and provided two assists against Orlando, ensuring he is certain to start this weekend.
Montreal will setup in a 3-4-3 formation, with Kamal Miller, Rudy Camacho and Joel Waterman making up the defensive three, in front of goalkeeper James Pantemis.
Experienced shot-stopper Kenneth Kronholm is nearing a return to action after suffering a cruciate ligament injury, but fellow goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth will continue as Chicago's number one between the posts.
Brian Gutierrez sprained his ankle in early September and centre-back Francisco Calvo injured his thigh at a similar time, meaning that both players will be unavailable this weekend.
Midfielder Alvaro Medran has been Chicago's highest-rated player this season, and he is certain to start in the middle of the field alongside Gaston Gimenez.
CF Montreal possible starting lineup:
Pantemis; Miller, Camacho, Waterman; Choiniere, Wanyama, Piette, Brault-Guillard; Mihailovic, Quioto, Torres
Chicago Fire possible starting lineup:
Shuttleworth; Bornstein, Teran, Pineda; Navarro, Medran, Gimenez, Espinoza; Stojanovic, Herbers; Offor
We say: CF Montreal 2-0 Chicago Fire
Montreal will take confidence from their 4-2 victory against Orlando, while Chicago Fire are struggling to stop their poor run of defeats.
Fire have only scored one goal in their last four games, suggesting that it is likely they will be unable to find the net on Sunday, while Montreal will be looking to take advantage of some fatigue Chicago may be experiencing as this is their sixth away game in a row.
Top tip
Sammy Wynne
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a CF Montreal win with a probability of 48.96%. A win for Chicago Fire had a probability of 25.96% and a draw had a probability of 25.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a CF Montreal win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.02%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.44%) and 2-0 (8.73%). The likeliest Chicago Fire win was 0-1 (7.53%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.92%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with an 8.7% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that CF Montreal would win this match.
